Of Blueberries and Hide and Seek (Episode 3)
by Zanza8
Summary: Nick and Judy make a light-hearted bet that could have tragic consequences.
1. Chapter 1

**Episode 3 of Zootopia, The Virtual Season. You can find all the episodes in Zootopia Communities, where the season is listed under my name.**

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Nick pushed open the door of the diner and took off his sunglasses, then smiled and headed for the corner booth. Judy was already there and he slid in opposite her and looked with interest at the blueberry pie she was finishing. A pert otter bustled up to the table. "What'll it be?"

"What do you think, Angie? Blueberry pie."

"Sorry, Nick." Angie pointed at Judy's plate. "That's the last piece."

The fox looked crestfallen and Judy giggled. "You should have gotten up when I knocked on your door."

"It's our day off," Nick grumbled. "It's not like we have to be anywhere."

"Only here if you want blueberry pie." Judy waved the last forkful at him and popped it in her mouth.

"We have apple pie," said Angie helpfully. "And pumpkin, and lemon meringue…"

The fox sighed. "Just bring me some toast and coffee."

Angie left to get his order and Judy asked, "So what are you up to today?"

"I haven't seen Finn for a while." Nick's coffee arrived and he took a sip. "What about you?"

"I think I'll just walk around the city, get to know it a little better."

The fox nodded. "Good idea."

The bunny's nose twitched. "Just what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Nick grinned. "Come on, Carrots, we both know you still have a lot to learn about the street."

"And we both know who was valedictorian of her class!" Judy huffed indignantly.

"There's a difference between being book smart and street smart." Nick held up a paw. "I'm not saying you're not a good cop. I'm just saying I'm better."

"Is that so?" Judy leaned forward.

"Am I a better cop?" The fox's eyes twinkled. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Care to put your money where your mouth is?" asked Judy dangerously.

"What did you have in mind?"

"You give me a head start, Nick, and you won't find me for…" The bunny thought for a moment. "Twenty four hours."

"And when I do find you?"

"Loser buys breakfast for a week."

Nick's toast arrived and he picked up a piece and started munching. "You have a bet, Carrots." He stuck out a paw. "And just to show you what a good sport I am, I'll finish my breakfast and go see Finn before I pick you up."

"Fine!" Judy wrung Nick's paw and headed over to the counter to pay her check, calling back, "I'll see you here tomorrow morning. And I'm going to want a really big breakfast!"


	2. Chapter 2

Nick stopped across the street from Finnick's garage to get a good look at it before he went inside. It had been almost a month since the fennec fox took over the former chop shop and the changes he had made were impressive. He had replaced the blacked-out windows with clear glass, repainted the building in a bright shade of green, and put up a sign reading Finnick's Car Repairs, complete with a picture of him holding a wrench and actually smiling. Nick crossed the street and pulled the door open, noting the little silver bell that announced the arrival of a customer.

Finnick came in from the garage, wiping grease off his paws. "Nick! How you doing?"

"Pretty good, Finn." Nick looked around the reception office. "Looks like you're doing all right yourself." The office was freshly painted in light blue with dark blue trim and there was a new desk with the latest computer. "Where did you get the money to fix up the place like this?"

"I didn't. Mr Big's daughter, Fru Fru, she sent some of them polar bears and they did it. Said it was a gift for Nicky's friend." Finnick snickered. "That little shrew really digs you."

Nick gave a wry smile. "Yeah, she kind of had a crush on me when she was growing up." Finnick smirked and his friend scowled. "How about you show me around?"

"Sure, Nick." Finnick led the way into the garage, pointing out the car lift and rows and chests of tools. He even had a computerized diagnostic unit and Nick whistled. "That's a nice piece of equipment."

Finnick poked it. "Not much use on them older cars but the new ones, you can't even try working on them without using this first. Guess I got pretty lucky with Mr Big looking out for me."

"Guess you did." Nick looked at the door of the back office and swallowed hard, the memory of him and Finnick being tied up and muzzled there by hippos running a chop shop overwhelming him. He shook his head to clear it. "What's back there?"

"Nothing," said Finnick quietly. "I keep it locked. Maybe someday I might feel like using it but right now…" He rubbed the faint scar on his head where one of the hippos had shot him.

Nick cast about for something to change the subject. "Finn, I have to tell you about the bet I made with Judy."

The little fox looked interested. "This I have to hear." He led the way upstairs to the apartment over the garage and showed Nick through every room.

The red fox struggled to keep a straight face. "I have to admit, this is a lot nicer than my luxury apartment at the Grand Pangolin Arms. A little girly, but very nice."

Finnick said glumly, "The polar bears did this too. Fru Fru picked out everything, the wallpaper, the furniture, even the curtains."

"I can see that." The apartment was all pastels and overflowing with frills and lace.

Finnick went to the refrigerator and got two bottles of beer, handing one to Nick and sitting on a mint green love seat. "I'm not gonna live like this, Nick. Soon as I get some cash, I'm getting some new stuff."

Nick seated himself gingerly on a delicate rocking chair. "In that case, I hope you make a fortune." He sipped his beer, then chuckled. "So Judy thinks she's a better cop than me and she bet me that she could hide and I couldn't find her in twenty four hours."

"What does she get when she wins?" Finnick laughed uproariously at the look on Nick's face. "You think you're gonna hustle her? She hustled you good right down the line. You ain't got a chance, Nick."

"We'll see about that." The red fox took out his cell phone and punched in some numbers. "I know the GPS code for her phone." He waited a moment and the phone pinged. "And look at that. She's at the diner." Nick shook his head. "Guess I better go put her out of her misery. And to answer your question, she'll be buying me breakfast for the next week."

Nick finished his beer and left, Finnick's laughter ringing in his ears. "You think you slick, Nick, but that little bunny gonna smoke you again!"


	3. Chapter 3

Nick turned the corner, looked up the street at the Tip Top Diner, and rechecked Judy's phone. She was still there and he strolled up to the establishment, smiling widely. Angie saw him through the window and hurried to the door as he came in, Judy's phone in her paw. "Oh, Nick, thank goodness you showed up!"

He frowned. "Why do you have Judy's phone?"

"She gave it to me. She told me about your bet, and how she thought you might use her phone to find her...Nick, you _have_ to find her!" The otter wrung her paws. "That pie she ate, the blueberries, they were contaminated. Animals have been going down all over the city with food poisoning." Angie burst into tears. "Judy could die!"

The thought of a world without Judy was so appalling it took all of Nick's experience in controlling his feelings to maintain his calm. "I won't let that happen, Angie." The otter kept sobbing and he patted her on the back. "I'll find her, but I need your help. Tell me about the blueberries."

Angie gulped and rubbed her eyes, struggling to regain her composure. "They were organic blueberries. And I never had a problem with them before, but the farmer called me this morning. He's been calling everyone he sold to this past week. Some irrigation water got contaminated, and he only found out today. Two of his own children got sick. And the health department was just here and they put out a citywide alert telling everyone who bought blueberries to turn them in and to go to the hospital if they felt sick."

"So Judy will hear about it on the news and come in on her own." Nick managed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Angie. She'll be fine." He wished he felt as confident as he sounded, especially when he reached the police station and had to sit down with Chief Bogo to explain the situation.

Bogo glared incredulously. "Let me see if I understand you, Wilde. You and Hopps, two adult animals, the first of their species to graduate the police academy…" The cape buffalo's voice rose steadily as he proceeded until it was a full-throated bellow. "YOU TWO DECIDED TO PLAY HIDE AND SEEK LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN AND NOW IT'S A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!"

Nick winced but met Bogo's eyes. "That about sums it up, sir."

Bogo sighed and punched the intercom. "Clawhauser! Get in here!"

The fat cheetah opened the door. "Yes, Chief?"

"Put out a citywide BOLO on Officer Hopps."

"Right away, Chief." Clawhauser turned to go, then stopped short. "Did I hear you right? You want me to have everyone on the lookout for Judy?"

"That's right, Clawhauser," said Bogo patiently. "Every single precinct, right down to Little Rodentia. And you, Wilde…"

"I have some idea of where to start looking, sir." The fox pulled out his phone and opened his contacts. "And I know just where I want to start."

A few hours later, Nick was walking down the street ticking off in his mind every step he had taken so far looking for Judy. She wasn't at the orphanage. Sister Margaret had promised to call if the bunny showed up, and had even told the children to watch for her. At least Tundratown was out. Mr Big had scoured his territory and his people were watching the roads. He would know if Judy showed up, and so far she hadn't. Finnick had asked every customer about Judy, and both he and Nick had reached out to every crook they had ever known. Even Duke Weaselton had agreed to call Nick if he heard anything about Judy, after the fox gave him twenty dollars and promised more if Duke turned anything up.

"HELP!"

A scream cut through his anxious thoughts and he whipped around to see a cheetah waving her paws as a leopard ran down the street with a large pink purse. The cheetah shrieked, "Stop him! He stole my bag!"

Nick tackled the leopard as the bigger animal ran past him, taking them both to the ground. For a brief moment they wrestled fiercely, then the leopard pulled a knife from his pocket and struck at the fox. Nick's grip loosened and the leopard broke free, taking off as the fox clutched his stomach, blood pooling under him while horrified bystanders called the police.


	4. Chapter 4

It was late afternoon when Judy reached the hospital and went up to the information desk. "I want to know about a fox that was brought in today. A police officer. Nick Wilde."

The elderly badger at the desk punched some keys at her computer and peered at the screen, then looked sympathetically at the bunny. "Yes, he's here, on the fifth floor in the Intensive Care Unit. Is he a friend of yours?"

"He's…" Judy struggled for words. "He's...yes, he's my friend. Can I see him?"

"I'm afraid not, dear. He's in critical condition. If you want to fill out a contact form, you can request to be notified if he can have visitors, or if anything happens."

"You mean if Nick dies." Judy's voice was completely expressionless.

"I'm sorry, dear," said the badger softly. "Sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to. Do you want the form?"

Judy shook her head, backing away and heading for the exit. Outside, she looked up at the building, wondering which window belonged to the room Nick was in, fighting for his life. Her chin went up. There had to be another way into the building, and as she circled around, she saw a linen truck waiting at a garage door in the back. A bored hedgehog came out and waved the truck in, and as it rolled forward, Judy slipped inside as well. There were a number of animals of different species working on the trucks. Some were being unloaded, bags of freshly cleaned sheets and uniforms moved to the back of the bay, and some were being loaded with bags of dirty bedding to be cleaned. It was the fresh uniforms Judy was interested in. The other animals were too busy with their work to notice the stranger in their midst, and after a few minutes of sorting, Judy found a nurse uniform roughly her size. She took it and went to the service elevator, going up to the fifth floor and changing in a restroom before walking up and down the halls until she found Nick's room.

He was propped up on pillows, a light blanket covering him to his bandaged waist. Electrodes were attached to his chest and a steady beep registered his heartbeat. He had an oxygen tube in his mouth and an IV in each arm, one of clear fluid and one of blood. Judy closed her eyes for a long moment, then opened them and slowly approached the bed, pulling a chair close and sitting down silently. Was it really only this morning Nick had been strong and well and irritating as ever? How could this have happened to him? She laid a gentle paw on his shoulder and whispered his name.

His eyelids fluttered open and he turned his head a little. "Carrots?"

Nick's voice was so weak she could barely hear it but Judy's heart leaped with gladness. "I'm here, Nick. You're going to be okay. You're going to be just fine." He coughed, his face twisting with pain, and the bunny asked anxiously, "Do you want the nurse?" He managed to nod once and Judy found the call button and pressed it. "It's going to be all right, Nick. Just don't die. Please, don't die."

"I wouldn't worry about that," said a dry voice.

Judy froze, then turned as if in a dream to see that the call button had summoned not a nurse, but Chief Bogo, followed by a beaver in a doctor's coat.

"Sorry, Carrots." Nick was sitting up in bed, pulling off the electrodes and untaping the IVs. They didn't even have needles, just tubes sealed at the ends, and he spit out the oxygen tube and ran his tongue over his lips with an expression of distaste. "I can explain."

"So can I!" Judy snapped. "You were so desperate to win a bet that you got the chief to go along with you?" She gestured at the medical equipment. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

"Shut your mouth, Hopps!" snapped Bogo. "Do you really think I would be a part of this if it weren't desperately important? We found out the blueberry pie you ate this morning was contaminated. A number of animals have been hospitalized. Two have died. You needed medical attention before it was too late. Doctor?"

The beaver came forward and took Judy's wrist. "Pulse is a little thready." He peered at her eyes and shook his head. "Are you having stomach pains?"

"A little," faltered the bunny.

"Light-headed? Dizzy?" Judy nodded and the doctor went to a telephone on the wall and gave some orders, then came back with a smile. "It looks like we got you early enough that you won't be very sick, but you're still going to be with us for a day or two."


	5. Chapter 5

Judy was dozing when Nick came to her room and he tiptoed in to lay a bunch of flowers on her bedside table before turning to go.

"Nick?"

The fox went over to the bed, his face grave but his eyes filled with happiness. "Feeling better, Carrots?"

She sat up, scowling. "Do you have _any_ idea what you put me through?"

Nick took a deep breath, then said quietly, "I'm not going to lie to you, Judy. And I'm not going to apologize." The bunny had only heard Nick use her name once before, when for one terrible moment he thought she was gone in the water below Cliffside Asylum, and she was silent as he continued. "I went to the diner expecting to win a bet, and I found out I could lose you. I couldn't take the chance I would find you in time. I had to get you to come to me. I had to hope you wouldn't let me die without seeing me first. I know how bad it was to do that to you, and I don't care. I know I scared you, but I was completely terrified." _I love you, Judy._

The last sentence was not spoken, but she read it in his sharp green eyes and her own softened. "I should have known you wouldn't go that far for a bet. I just…" She had to wait a moment before she could go on. "When I heard what happened, and I thought you might...that I might not get there in time…" _I love you too, Nick_. She kept the last sentence to herself but it shone in her face and it was a long moment before either of them spoke again.

"I guess Chief Bogo is pretty mad at both of us?" Judy finally ventured. Nick nodded and she lay back against the pillows. "I probably should take some time off. You can let me know when the chief's calmed down."

"Very funny. How about you tell me where you were hiding not to see any news reports about the blueberries but you heard what happened to me?"

Judy's first impulse was to retort that she might want to hide there again, but Nick's expression was too serious and she said soberly, "Do you remember how Finnick put his old van in a long term parking garage when he moved into that apartment?"

"You broke into Finn's van?"

"Technically I didn't _break_ in," said Judy primly. "He left it unlocked."

"That sounds like Finn, all right."

"And I didn't have my phone, so I couldn't get any news." Judy closed her eyes. "Then a couple of juveniles, a bobcat and a moose, tried taking a car from the garage for a joyride and security caught them." She opened her eyes and gazed at Nick. "I heard the guards talking about how a cop, a fox, had been stabbed trying to stop a purse snatcher, and that he was…" Her voice trembled. "They were saying you might die, Nick." She couldn't go on.

Nick took her little velvet paw. "When I heard about the health alert for those blueberries I had just watched you eat…" He shook his head. "I went to every single animal I'd ever known looking for you. And I have to hand it to the chief. He was willing to do anything to help even though he was mad enough to kill me." The fox's eyes twinkled. "I think that's where I got the idea of faking an injury."

"You did it a little too well," murmured Judy.

"You have no idea," sighed Nick. "That beaver doctor is an old friend of the chief's. It was his idea to go all out putting me in the Intensive Care Unit. I think he would have put in real IVs if I had let him. And he was the one who got a pint of blood for the fake robbery. You know that new recruit, Danny Fleck?"

"The leopard?"

"He volunteered to be the robber. Then Clawhauser got his girlfriend to help, pretending to be the robbery victim…"

"Clawhauser has a girlfriend?"

"Oh, yeah." Nick smiled widely. "Beautiful cheetah, thin as a rail. She's a vegan. Anyway, she started screaming about her purse being stolen, and Danny ran up to me with the purse, and he had the blood in it. We scuffled a little, then he took out a knife and cut the bag with the blood and poured it on me. I had to burn my clothes."

"Such a sacrifice," scoffed Judy.

"It really was," Nick said sadly. "I loved that Hawaiian shirt."

"Nick," said the bunny sternly, "you have six more of those shirts. I helped you move in, remember?"

"It's still a sacrifice," the fox said loftily. "Now I don't have one for every day of the week."

Judy bit back a smile. "If you call the bet a draw, I'll buy you another Hawaiian shirt."

"Tell you what, Carrots." Nick squeezed Judy's paw. "When you get out, you can buy me another shirt if you want, but I'm definitely buying you breakfast for a month."


End file.
